Packing.



H. D. BENNETT.

PACKING.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1913.

Patented May 19, 1914.

.l /A4 1 1 1 1 l l 1 @Wbb/nadoen 11. D. BENNETT.

PACKING.

. 1913. 1,097,074. Patented May 19, 1914.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

HOWARD D. BENNETT, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

PACKING.l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 2, 1913.

l Patented May 19, 1914. Serial N o. 758,454.

Baltimore, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Packings; and I do hereby declare the f ollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artvto which 1t appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to packing and particularly to a packing for use in connection with a rotating shaft and its bearing under conditions where the alinement of the'shaft is irregular as the result of the shaft shiftmg laterally andwabbling around the true center of rotation or becoming eccentric from wear in the bearing. v

The obj-ect of the invention resides in the provision of a packing for use' in connection with a shaftand its bearing which will obviate undue wear of the packing as a result of wabbling of the shaft and which will be maintained tight at all times during such wabblin'g, the tight condition of the packing being constantly effected by Huid or spring pressure or both exerted within the bearing against the packing.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a packing which when used in connection with a submerged shaft and its bearing will permit eiiicient lubrication of the bearing and at the same time will prevent water from Without entering the bearing.

With the above and other objectsin view the invention consists 'in the details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully described'and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

n describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which-- p Figure 1 is a longitudinal. section through vsaid boreare disposed in spaced relation to the peripheryof the shaft B for a purpose that will presently appear. The sleeve 10 of the bearing is provided at each end with outwardly directed iianges l2, while the outer wall of said sleeve is Vprovided with a circumscribing groove 13. Surrounding the sleeve 10 and secured to the latter by means of bolts 14 passing through the flanges 12 is a body portion 15 the inner 'wall of which is provided with a groove 416 substantially mating with the groove 13 and forming in conjunction with the latter a chamber C. This chamber C communicates at its ends respectively with the spaces between the ends of the sleeve 10 and the shaft B by means of passages 17. Mounted in the body 15 is a pipe 18 which is adapted to be connectedwith a suitable iuid supply, said pipe f against the outboard end of the bearing A is a packing' guard 19, said guard being secured in place by means of bolts 20 passinothrough same and into'the flange 12 an body 15. This guard clamps between same and the body portion l10 an outwardly directed flange 21 of a cage 22, said cage extending inwardly into the space between the end of the sleeve 10 and the shaft B. This cage 22 is provided with a plurality of longitudinal recesses 23 in certain of which are seated springs 24. The flange 21 of the cage 22 is stepped on its outer side to form a shoulder 25 which is provided with threads and with which is engaged the threaded end 26 of a cylinder 27, said cylinder bearing against the inner wall of the guard 19 and extending parallel to the shaft B.

Mounted in the cylinder `27 for movement longitudinally of the shaft B is a piston 28 the inner side of which is provided with a plurality of recesses 29 which receive the outer ends of respective springs 24. Interlocking with the piston 28 and disposed outwardly thereof is a follower 30-and confined between the piston and follower is a T- packin the arms of which bear against the wall o the cylinder 27. Formed through the piston 28 is a passage 32 which opens against one arm of the packing 31 and serves to transmit fluid pressure against said packing so as to increase the eciency thereof. Disposed outwardly of the follower 30 and interlocking with same is a packing ring 32 which engages a acking ring 33 'interlocked with a collar 34 Xed upon the shaft B. It will be noted that the walls ofthe piston 22, follower 30 and packinor rings 32 and 33 which are adjacent the sha t B are disposed in spaced relation to said shaft whereby the shaft is free to wabble and rotate eccentrically without engaging either the piston 28, follower 30 or acking rin 32.` It will also be noted that t e outer w ring 32 is disposed in spaced relation to the adjacent wall of the cylinder 27 which willv permit the shaft B kto wabble and rotate eccentrically without bringing the packing ring 33 into engagement with the cylinder 27. By thus removing the shaft -B from possibility of engagement with the piston, follower, or packing rings and also the removal of the possibility of engagement bet-Ween the packing ring 33 and the cylinder 27 Y the wear upon the packing rings 32 and 33`is reduced to a minimum, such wear being entirely eliminated under conditions that are the greatest detriment to the prolonged life of a bearing. Mounted on the inner side 0f the piston 28 is a plurality of guide pins 35 which travel in the recesses 23 not occupied by the springs 24, said pins-serving to effect' true movement of the piston 28- and adjacent parts longitudinally of the shaft B as will be apparent and preventing rotation of the piston with the shaft.

Secured to the in board end of the sleeve 10 by means of the bolts 14 passing through the flange 12 and into the body 15 is a suitable guard 37. Mounted between the guard 37 and the shaft B isla packing similar in every respect to the packing mountedvbetween the yguard 19 and the shaft B and detailed reference thereto will therefore be omitted.

The action vof the packing under ordinary conditions can be maintained through the medium of the springs 24 which operate to force the piston 28 outwardly and maintain the packing ring 32 in tight engagement with the packing ring 33. Under such ordinary conditions a lubricating fluid can be -supplied under light pressure from the pipe 18 as will be obvious. When the bearing is submerged to a great degth however in the operation of dredging t e pressure of the water will tend to cause same to force its l of the packing way between thev rings 32 and 33 and into the bearing. Under these co-nditions the fluid is' supplied through the pipe 18 under sufficient pressure to operate against the inner side of the piston 28 and force the packingring 32 against the packing ring 33.* with su cient force to positively exclude the passage of any water between said rings and into the bearing as the circulating, fluid which is maintained at a greater pressure than the outside water will escape through any opening between the rings 32y and 33. At the same' time it will be apparent that the lubrication of the bearing is efficiently maintained. y

While the packing has been shown and described in connection with the bearing and cutter shaft of a dredge it will be apparent that same may be adapted for use in connection with other shafts and bearings which are operated either out of water or submerged, without in any way departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

The body 15 has mounted therein a grit valve M of the sprino' controlled type through the medium of willich such grit may accumulate in the bearing where it may be readily discharged. There is also mounted in the bearing aVtube 40 connected to a lubricant supply pipe 41. Lubricant is forced from the pipe 41 to the tube 40 and thence int-o a crcumscribing ring 42 directly against the shaft B and this lubricant will work along between the sleeve 10 and the shaft so as to materially enhance the lubrication of the bearin The bearing as siliown in Fig. 1 is arranged for lubricant supply through tube 40 land 'washingl fluid through tube 18. Howeverthe bearing may be operated with either one Yof these tubes left olf and the corresponding connections omitted when required.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a movable member and a bearing therefor,l of a plurality of packing elements closing communication with the interior of the bearing and having opposite faces positioned to be subjected to fluid pressures present eXteriorly and interiorly of the bearing respectively. 2. .The combination with a movable meinber and a bearing therefor, of a plurality of -packing elements closing communication with the interior of the bearing and having opposite faces positioned to be subjected to fluid pressures present exteriorly and interiorly of the bearing respectively, and means for forcing'said packing elements into engagement with each other 3. The combination with a movable member, vof a bearing therefor having a terminal portion disposed in spaced relation to the member, packing elements between the terminal portion of the bearing and the member closing communication with the interior of the bearing and having opposite faces positioned to be subjected to fluid pressures v present exteriorly and .int'eriorly ot' the bearing respectively, and means for forc- `ing said packing elements into engagement with each other.

4. The combination with a movable member, of a bearing therefor having terminal portions disposed in spaced relation to the member, packing elements between each terminal portion of the bearing and the member closing communication with the interior of the bearing, said packing elements having opposite faces positioned to be subjected to fluid pressures present exteriorly and interiorly of the bearin respectively, and means for moving the pacling elements at each end of the bearing into engagement with each other.

5. The combination with a movable member and a bearing therefor, of a plurality of annular packing elements circumscribing the member and having their cylindrical faces disposed in spaced relation to the bearing and member respectively, said packing elements closing communication with the interior of the bearing whereby their cylindrical faces will be subjected to fluid pressures present interiorly and exteriorly of the bearing respectively, and means for forcing said packing elements into engagement with each other.

6. The combination with a movable member and a bearing therefor, of a packing interposed between the bearing and the member, and comprising a packing element fixed to themember and capable of movement transversely of the bearing under the inluence of untrue movement of the member,

a pistonslidably mounted in the bearing for movement longitudinally of the member, a packing element supported by said piston for contact with the first named element, the

inner end of said piston being exposed to the influence of fluid pressure exerted within the bearing whereby said piston will be moved outwardly of the bearing to force the last named element into engagement with the first named element.

i 7. The combination with a movable member and a bearing therefor, of a packing interposed between the bearing and the member, and comprisin a packingelement fixed to the member and aving its outer wall disposed in spaced relation to the adjacent wall of the bearing whereby said element is free to move transversely of the bearing under t-he influence of untrue movements of the member, a second packing element mounted for movement longitudinally of the member and adapted to contact with the first named element, and means for movin said last named packing element longitudinally of the member to force same into engagement with the first named element.

8. The combination with a movable member and a. bearing therefor, of a packing interposed between the bearing and the member, and comprising a packing element fixed to the member and having 'its outer wall disposed in spaced relation to the adjacent wall of the bearing whereby said element is free to move' transversely of the bearing under the movements of the untrue movements of the member, a second packing element mounted within the bearing for movement longitudinally of the member and adapted to contact with the first named element, and means for moving said last named packing element longitudinallyof the member to yieldingly force same into engagementwith the irst named packing element.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my slgnature, in the presence of two witnesses.

HOWARD D. BENNETT.

Witnesses:

EUGENE FREDERICK, WARD B. Cori.v 

